Chemical Properties of the Universe
Astronomers hypothesize that about 5 million years ago, the Solar System was filled with a plethora of hot gases and dust, swirling around a hot core. They think that once the core approached about 1 million degrees, the physics and chemical properties caused the gases to coalesce, forming the sun. During this time, there were millions and millions of asteroids. As these asteroids collided with one other, some combined and as their mass increased, gravity pulled more and more particles and debris in, and the planetoids became larger and larger until the planets of the solar system were formed. This was a process known as accreation, and over hundreds of millions of years, the solar system formed -- the continual bombarding of asteroids changing the planets, forming the rings of Saturn, and the landscapes of others, including the moons -- which were just smaller planetoids caught in the gravitational pull of the planet (Palmer). Earthlike planets are typically closer to their sun, allowing for their temperatures to be more moderate. Depending on the distance from the sun and the characteristics of the atmosphere, they may have liquid water, and may develop plant life through photosynthesis. The gas-giants in the outer solar system, however, are far enough away from the sun that temperatures are quite low, and contain a higher portion of volatile chemicals like ammonia and methane, which because of the cold, remain somewhat solids. The four outer planets make up about 99% of the mass in our solar system. Jupiter and Saturn are more gaseous, while Uranus and Neptune more icy (Jet Propulsion Laboratory).
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